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On Friday, March 24, teens and educator entered "the grid" through a day long workshop hosted by the PAMM Teen Arts Council. Utilizing contemporary art with the goal of exposing and showcasing the use of technology in our lives, PTAC led interactive tours throughout the galleries, designed an artmaking activity, and facilitated anonymous conversations through a silent panel.

In the Grid: Teen Voice & Digital Citizenship, served as a platform for digital natives and digital immigrants to unite and exchange ideas.

You might wonder what the terms "digital native" and "digital immigrant" entail. Being a digital native, I took the liberty of using my technological resources and looking it up for you.

dig·it·al im·mi·grant

noun

noun: digital immigrant; plural noun: digital immigrants

1.a person born or brought up before the widespread use or of digital technology.

dig·it·al na·tive

noun

noun: digital native; plural noun: digital natives

1.a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology and therefore familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age.

*source: Oxford English Dictionary

As a student being there with educators, it was very interesting to put myself in their shoes of the educators and learn how they perceived the digital revolution. I have grown up with it, yet for them it was a new tool that they do not necessarily use. During the silent panel, digital immigrants took a longer time responding to questions via text. This was something that would not happen to me and my peers, making me realize just how digitally divided we really are.

Through the workshop, I hope teachers have learned that technology can also be used as a tool in the classroom instead of a distraction.